Tony Buzan, the inventor of MindMaps , has a simple explanation of how you make things memorable. It can be found his book "Harnessing The ParaBrian".
Buzan says that to be able to recall things from a presentation, you give them five qualities.
"Primacy"
We remember was said at the beginning of a presentation.
"Recency"
We remember the last thing that was said
"Linking"
We remember what we can connect with other knowledge/ideas we have in our brain
"Outstandingness"
We remember points that stand out from others because they are dramatically presented or made to stand out form the crowd in some other way
"Review"
If we cover a point several times - perhaps in different ways - we will remember it. Much the value of swotting for exams!
We can use questions to harness this powerful knowledge and make our presentations that much more memorable.
Ask really interesting questions at the beginning of the Presentation. You get people thinking from the start of the show.
If you finish the show with telling questions for people to think about and build on, they will go away buzzing with the thoughts you have left them with!
Use questions to connect to knowledge that you know that people already have. They will make the connection for themselves with the existing knowledge and take the new ideas away with them as well.
Questions are just one of the ways that you can make a point seem more than everyday. Tell a colourful story and ask questions about it.
What better way to review your presentation at its conclusion than to ask interesting questions that check what you have said has been understood? Use the Interactive Presenter to display the scores without creating any embarrassment. Get 100% response and you know you have been successful. If you need to get the rating up, at least you now have the chance to do so.